The Cat and the Lion
by CaraGeekachu
Summary: When Kayla is approached by Jeanine Matthews with an offer, it changes her life forever, for better and for worse. Eric x OC, mostly canon, will become more AU. First proper fanfiction.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first story, so please only leave criticism if it's constructive! This story has chapters happening in the same space of time as those in Divergent, meaning that you could read the book and my story at the same time if you wanted to. Kayla is my own character, all other characters and most of the plot belongs to Veronica Roth. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Kay. It's time to get up."

I roll over and press my face far into the pillow. I can get a couple of extra minutes if I just try to ignore her. Sometimes. Erudite efficiency is something that can get to you after sixteen years, even for the smartest of people.

"Kay, if you don't get out of that bed right now…" my mum threatens. This is a pretty common practise in our house. Benjamin, my brother, is probably up, reading as he eats his breakfast.

"I'm getting up mum." I whine as I roll out of the covers. The air is colder than I anticipated, and the hair on my arms rises up until it is on end. Our faction is fairly advanced in terms of technology, especially compared to Abnegation, but the heating could be better. If I were my brother, I'd be talking about how it worked and the very smallest of flaws that could be resolved.

When I finally get downstairs, I look at myself in the mirror at the end of our hallway. My hair seems controllable for once, falling just short of my waist, dark brown. If it was straight, it would be longer, much to my dismay. Dark green eyes look back into my own and their expression hardens a little. I walk into our kitchen to find the rest of my family with their noses buried in books. I pick a book at random from the shelf in the corner of the room, ending up with something about theories of the creation of the universe.

"Are you worried at all, Kay?" my dad asks. He seems more worried than I am.

"Not really. The aptitude tests don't have to change your decision, do they?" I'm not too sure if I believe what I'm saying, let alone the rest of my family.

"They don't have to, of course, but they tell you where you would fit best. It's a big decision, and you'll be there for the rest of your life." Benjamin always has something to say that's better than what I can when we're with our parents. I can already tell that he won't be going anywhere. He'll be staying here in Erudite judging by his general attitude and his IQ score. Mine wasn't that far off of his, but IQ is what defines how you live your life here in Erudite. Janine Matthews, our leader, was chosen because of her IQ being the highest in the faction.

"We need to go, you two," my dad says, voice reflecting his authority in our family, "you're going to be late."

After a pointed look from my brother, I get up from the table, hug my mum goodbye and go out to our car. The roads in our sector of the city are well maintained, not a hole in sight, so the journey is always comfortable. We soon reach the school and I say goodbye to my dad quickly, pushing past my brother quickly to catch up with Kyle. His family are close to the Matthews, so they are fairly influential in the faction.

"Hey, what's up?" I ask. He shrugs nonchalantly.

"I'm worried. If I don't get Erudite as my result, who knows what position I'll be in. I can't leave my family; they already had to deal with that when my brother went. Janine has promised me a position in helping her about Abnegation if I stay." His brother changed faction, which was a big shock to the whole of our faction. He had been given a similar offer to Kyle, but he didn't take it, and didn't even stay to find out what he could have done instead. Rumour is that his family haven't spoken to him since, and I don't bring up the subject because of it.

"Your result doesn't change what decision you make, Kyle. You've got a good future for yourself here – you can still stay and have that." By now, we're inside the building, the sound of a much more animated group of students echoing around the main hall. Walking towards Advanced Maths, Kyle deliberately shoves one of the Abnegation on to the floor. Whether he wanted to or not, it's still expected of him by the position of his family within the faction and the growing rivalry.

"Out of my way, Stiff," he sneers and we carry on walking.

"Having your daily bit of fun," I ask, smiling knowingly. He shoves me, and we both grin at each other as we go into Maths. I turn my head at the last minute to see the girl stood at the window just as the Dauntless jump off the train. Maybe she isn't such a Stiff after all.


	2. Chapter 2

Sat on the long benches of the canteen, it's clear to see the differences between the factions. Abnegation are sat quietly, trying to forget themselves as usual. Candor argue with wide gestures, oblivious to the Amity sat in a circle on the floor, giggling loudly every few minutes in some kind of game. Dauntless shout loudly and laugh at each other as they play cards, and us Erudite have our noses buried in books, although most of us are not really focusing on the words on the pages.

Benjamin is called in the next group of 16-year-olds, and I touch his shoulder lightly in the most casual reassuring gesture that I can. I just sit and wait until I see him come back, grinning from ear to ear, and there is no doubt as to his result.

"From Erudite, Kayla Mayberry and Kyle Colton," the voice says from the speakers. I look over to him and smile reassuringly as we walk to the small rooms. Just before I walk into room 4 and he room 3 I lightly shove him and smile slyly.

I walk into the room to see a woman from Abnegation. She is the perfect image of what somebody from their faction should be like, avoiding looking at herself in the mirrored walls at all costs. I laugh a little and then stop myself, realising that she will be the one helping to show me the way.

"Hello Kayla," she says quietly, "if you'd like to take a seat over here."

The chair is like a dentist's, and I sit back until the bright light above me shines directly into my eyes and I squint. I look to the side to see the woman preparing a vial of clear liquid. She brings it over as well as some electrodes which she attaches to my forehead and then hers also.

"Drink this. It doesn't hurt," she says calmly. I do as she says and feel my eyes closing of their own accord.

I open my eyes after a second and the light is no longer shining into them. I'm stood in the school canteen, but the tables are empty and it is eerily quiet. The glass walls tell me that it's snowing outside, but it was sunny before I went into the testing room. This isn't real.

"Choose," Janine Matthew's voice says behind me. I look down to see two woven baskets in front of me. One contains cheese, the other a long knife.

"Why do I need to choose?"

"Choose!" her voice says, getting impatient. I reach out and take the knife, changing my stance to accommodate the weight of it. The baskets disappear and a few metres away appears a dog. It has a pointed nose, crouching low as it stalks towards me. It growls.

I look around, trying to find something that can help me other that the knife. There are more logical ways to do this than just killing it straight away. I remember one of my textbooks saying about how to show a sense of submissiveness to an animal. I don't make eye contact and I sink down to my knees, head bowed, but it keeps coming at me. I lay on my stomach.

It keeps coming.

I'm not going to manage like this. Instead, I get up quickly, lashing out with my fists at the dog. It whimpers and backs away but I keep going – it will take any opportunity it can. The dog lays there helpless and I see a young girl looking at me, scared from across the room.

I blink and I'm on a bus like the ones some of the people at school travel on. I'm stood holding onto the bar above me and there is a man reading a newspaper in front of me. His hands are scarred as if burned.

"Do you know this guy?" he asks, tapping the picture on the front of the newspaper. The headline above it says, "Brutal Murderer Finally Apprehended!"

I feel like I know the man, but I'm not sure how. Something bad is going to happen if I tell him.

"No idea," I say, shrugging my shoulders. He brings the newspaper down and I see his face, rippled with scars, a snarl on his face, and he reaches out to grab me.


	3. Chapter 3

Just as he touches me, I'm pulled out of it and I'm sat in the chair, being blinded by the light still as if nothing happened.

"I'll be back in a minute," the woman says, quickly removing the electrode from my head and rushing out of the back door. What did I do wrong? It's not possible to fail a test that everybody has a different answer to. I thought it would be longer than that, maybe more difficult. Maybe that's why she looked so worried.

The door flings open, and in strides Janine Matthews, with the woman behind her, still worried.

"Kayla," Janine says, smiling, "would you like to come with me?"

"What about my results?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

I follow her as she strides out of the room, having no trouble keeping up with my long legs. We turn a few corners until we're in a part of the school that I'm unfamiliar with. Coming to a large door, she types in a code quickly on a keypad and it opens to reveal a large office. Screens are along each wall showing each aptitude test. I get a quick glance of Kyle before all of them are turned off.

"Kayla, I want you to know that I'm not condemning you for anything, because I know you will make the right choice," she says sternly but quietly.

"What choice?" I ask. All I've done is sit in a chair and make myself feel guilty, and now I'm sat in an office with Janine Matthews.

"I need you to promise that you won't say anything about this meeting after you leave this room, and I need you to not talk until I'm finished."

I nod.

"Okay then. I'll start with your test results. They were inconclusive, meaning that you didn't have four factions ruled out. You only had three, and the simulation is not built for it. You showed aptitude for both Erudite… and Dauntless. This is the same result as somebody else who you may know from a few years ago. This means that you are Divergent. You don't fit in to the system, and if you act on it, you threaten the whole of society. This is why I'm asking a favour of you which will allow you to put your Divergence to use. Since one of your results was Dauntless, I'm asking you to go there and help with my efforts that I am making. The other person I mentioned earlier is in a position of leadership, and will need you to help when the time comes. I would have asked your friend Kyle, but it may have created issues," she finishes, looking at me and smiling.

"Can I ask who I would be working with? I want to know if I'm going to be leaving my family," I ask. This is one of the biggest decisions of my life, and Janine is asking if she can make it for me.

"Remember, faction before blood. It's taken very seriously at Dauntless. As for who it is, his name is Eric Colton."


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry that I haven't updated in a while, I've had music rehearsals all this week and then I'm away for more next weekend! There's going to be plently of exciting elements coming into the story soon though to make up for it!**

* * *

Janine lets me sit in that office until the end of the school day, when she insists on driving me home instead of me walking. Benjamin was left to walk, but I don't want to talk to her unless she speaks to me and expects an answer. This means that I arrive home earlier, and my mum has something to ask me about.

"Kay, I wan't expecting you back yet. Where's your brother?" she asks, obviously concerned.

"Janine Matthews wanted to talk to me after my aptitude test, like she spoke to Kyle previously. It was about the choices we choose to make tomorrow," I don't want to tell her that I'm going to be leaving them, disgracing the family in my wake. Kyle's family were once at the same level as the Matthews, but his older brother leaving them has left them lower down.

His name was Eric.

I don't know how I didn't realise it before, but I'm going to be working with Kyle's brother. All I remember is that he was always unforgiving, yet still a walking book.

He was Divergent too. Janine never offered him the same as she offered Kyle – she offered him the same as me.

"So you're going to be helping her too?" my mother seems so happy that I wish I wasn't about to tell the largest lie of my life.

"Yes, mum. But Benjamin and Kyle don't know yet," I say, keeping my voice as stable as I can.

"You can do what you like while I make dinner. I'll tell your father as soon as he gets home, and I'll tell Benjamin that you got a lift and couldn't find him," she smiles at me, and it's genuine, making me want to cry even more.

I go up to my room and look out of the glass wall down the road to see Kyle drawing into the drive down the road with his dad and Benjamin just turning the corner. I'm lying to both of them, and I'm not happy about it, but it has to be done. I tap the solid wall behind me to bring the blinds over the glass and sit, waiting until I have to try to convince my dad too.

Dinner is the normal genetically modified produce of meat with potatoes and vegetables. Erudite is all about the science behind life and what is the optimum consumption of differing food groups, so the meals differ in size and proportions depending on size and age. Nobody usually speaks, reading books instead, but tonight is different.

"Benjamin, I take it you're planning on remaining in Erudite tomorrow then," my dad says to him sternly. I guess that's not putting any pressure on him at all.

"I'm not allowed to tell you my results, but they're probably no less than you were expecting," Benjamin replies. His voice always has a tone of intelligence to it, whereas mine is quite the opposite, contrasting with what actually comes out of my mouth. My dad nods and smiles knowingly to his answer.

"I have no doubt that you will be the same, Kay," he says next, the smile growing even wider. I try to smile back as convincingly as possible and it seems to be good enough, as he asks me no questions. He picks up a book, and the conversation is over.


End file.
